Childbirth

Your Guide To Cord Blood Banking

When you go to that first prenatal visit, you might find yourself leaving with a stack of pamphlets with lots of info you’ve even heard of. While it can feel overwhelming in the moment, take the time to learn about some of the optional services available--like cord blood banking!

TOLAC Versus VBAC: What is the Difference?

The process of having a VBAC is called a trial of labor after a cesarean or TOLAC. While a TOLAC may be considered after previous CD, it is critical that a thorough review of risks and benefits be done with your obstetrical care provider.

The Birth Preparation Course with Dr. Nicole Rankins

There are many unknowns about childbirth and the experience is really unique to each individual. Dr. Rankins has turned her years of medical practice as an OBGYN and a mother into an evidence-based birth preparation course that will help you navigate birth and postpartum. Learn more!

Perfect Products for Pregnancy, Delivery and Postpartum!

I’ve rounded up some of our favorite items for those who are expecting and those in the early postpartum phase. I’ve also pulled together some of our top recommendations for hospital bag packing. Happy shopping!

Birth Trauma and PTSD

Birth trauma is not only related to physical trauma, though. It can also include feelings of loss of control, feeling unsupported by staff or hostile staff, and fear of death or permanent damage during the events of the birth.

Pain Control During Labor and Delivery

It is normal to feel uncertain about childbirth, but this blog aims to give you a better understanding of your options and what to expect. To discuss the topic of pain control during labor and delivery, I’m joined by Dr. John Patton, anesthesiologist and RAAPM fellow.

Healing from Infertility, Pregnancy and Birth Trauma

As Parijat Deshpande, a leading mind-body health specialist, says, “Trauma is not about WHAT happened, but HOW your body experienced it. Trauma is when too much happened too soon and too fast. Trauma does not heal with time.”

Obstetric Lacerations During Labor and Delivery

Yes, today we are talking about pelvic and female anatomy, obstetric lacerations during delivery and prevention! If you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant, then this is definitely a topic to which you will want to pay attention.

So Your OB May Not Be the One Who Delivers You…What Now??

I appreciate my one weeknight per week and one weekend per month of being on call so much more now that I have an infant because time has become more precious than ever. Having this time off also decreases rates of physician burnout by allowing us to prolong our careers.

Is It Easier to Give Birth if You Work Out? An OB-GYN Explains

It is no secret that the health benefits of routine physical exercise are many. Working out improves your mental health, helps with weight control, boosts your energy levels, improves sleep, and can prevent the onset of many medical conditions.

Repeat Cesareans and Failed TOLACs: It’s OK to Feel Like You Missed Out

After a Cesarean delivery, many moms desire to attempt a trial of labor after Cesarean (TOLAC). This is when a mom wants to deliver vaginally after having had a previous pregnancy that resulted in a Cesarean section.

Everything You Want to Know About Pregnancy, Labor and Delivery and Postpartum, But Are Afraid to Ask!

If you or someone you know is preparing for labor and delivery, this information is a must-read! There are several things to be aware of during labor and delivery, with additional considerations to keep in mind if you are is 35 or over at the time of delivery.

Wait a Minute…I Don’t Have to Push on My Back??

Many parents arrive to the delivery room with the expectation that their baby will be born via the traditional lithotomy position (back-lying, legs up in stirrups). However, this is not the only birthing position, nor is it necessarily the best one for every woman.

4 Tips For Coping After a Traumatic Pregnancy or Birth Experience

For most women, pregnancy is a blissful time. Many women enjoy their growing belly and bask in the glow of a new life they are creating while they plan for a birth experience that feels empowering and in-line with their values and wishes.

What to pack? – The Pregnancy Hospital Bag Checklist

We’ve made this trip several times. With the benefit of our experience and that of other moms and partners, we’ve produced this hospital bag checklist to guide you through exactly what to pack in your bag, your baby bag and your partner’s bag!

The Alphabet of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery

If you have had a cesarean delivery, you can opt for an ERCD or a TOLAC with the next pregnancy. A ‘TOLAC’ is the process of attempting to have a vaginal delivery after having had a CD. Once a vaginal delivery after a prior CD has occurred, the patient has had a ‘VBAC’.

What are the Possible Complications During Labor and Delivery for Older Women?

Not only are women of an older age at risk of having difficulty conceiving, they are also at increased risk for certain complications during labor and delivery. Listen as Dr. Clark explains why!

I am an OB/GYN :: This is What EVERY Woman Should Know About Pregnancy and Delivery

As an OB/GYN and high-risk pregnancy specialist, I get called, texted and emailed nearly daily by friends, friends of friends, coworkers and family members with questions about various issues surrounding pregnancy and delivery.

What Really Happens to a Woman’s Body Before, During, and After Pushing Out a Baby

In order to squeeze something the size of a watermelon through something the size of a lemon, a woman’s body must stretch from the inside out—which, like a comic-book hero, it manages to do thanks to a hurricane of hormones.

Inducing Labor Late in Pregnancy Doesn’t Increase C-Section Risk

A study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found that inducing labor in women over age 35 — who are are more likely to end up delivering by C-section — didn’t increase their chances of needing the surgery.

What You Need to Know About Vaginal Delivery After a Cesarean

In my practice I see women nearly every day who have had a previous cesarean delivery and are interested in learning about the possibility of trying for a vaginal delivery in their current pregnancy. Here is what you need to know!

The Childbirth Stories You Haven’t Heard

“Social media has allowed people to one-up each other on their birth horror stories,” says Dr. Clark. “You hardly ever hear, ‘I went in and I had a good labor and I delivered my baby,’ because that’s not catchy.”

A Doula And A Doctor Can Coexist

A birth doula can provide much needed emotional support as someone the woman has come to know over the course of several weeks or months, as well as guidance to help her get through the challenging parts of labor and birth.

Can The CNM, Doula And MD Work Together?

We CAN bridge the gap between MD’s, CNM’s, and doulas. We are already making progress towards that goal and continue to do so every time a group of powerful women comes together to support a woman on her journey as she becomes a new mother .